Police/Courts

A fugitive living in Montbrook was arrested after 16 years on the run by the Levy County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force on Friday, according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

Benjamin Monroe Hamilton, 59, who used the alias Benjamin Crawford, was jailed on an outstanding Highland County warrant dating back to 1996 for violation of probation. He was convicted of running over and seriously injuring a man with a vehicle during a bar brawl.

The state Fire Marshal's Office has determined that a house fire on Sunday, April 1, on Northeast 92 Court in Bronson was an arson and a man on felony probation on a drug charge has been charged with setting the fire, according to a Levy County Sheriff's Office press release.
Jermain Lashaun Griffin, 28, of Bronson, is being held without bond on an arson charge at Levy County Jail.

Henry Joel Melendez Prestol, 32, of Morriston, faces three counts of burglary, three counts of grand theft, six counts of dealing in stolen property, forgery and uttering a forged instrument according to a Levy County Sheriff's Office press release.
He was arrested after two horse farms in the Morriston area reported numerous thefts from January through March.

A drug bust in Chiefland last year has led to the arrest of a Melrose man who initially escaped arrest by the Levy County Sheriff's Office, but has found out he could not escape their notice, according to a Sheriff's Office press release.
Kenyatta Daron Howard, 36, of Melrose, was arrested Saturday, March 30, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia by Sheriff's Capt. Scott Anderson.

Citizens in east Levy County reported seeing three monkeys on Thursday, March 22, so Lt. Shawn Hunt, the new Levy County Sheriff's Office Ag/Marine Unit commander, responded spending hours attempting to locate the monkeys.

When Levy Sheriff's Deputy Jason Gallup responded to a residential alarm in Morriston he hardly thought about arresting a character from a children's nursery rhyme after a man who called to complain about the alarm and identified himself as "Puddin' Taine," according to a Levy County Sheriff's Office press release.
When Gallup arrived at the residence where the alarm was going off he spotted a white male on the property. The man became agitated when Gallup asked his identity and claimed he was "Puddin' Taine."

A man wanted on charges in Alachua County who was hiding in Gilchrist County may have eluded a six-hour manhunt on Wednesday, but he was eventually caught when a friend tried giving him a ride into Levy County, according to a Levy County Sheriff's Office press release.
Steven Allen Ross, 21, of Newberry, was sought by the North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force, United States Marshal Service and Levy County Sheriff's Office on burglary and theft charges. He also has a history of escape in Columbia County.

Jimmie L. Mongo of Bronson, whose criminal record dates to 1975, was arrested Thursday on charges stemming from a violent attack on his ex-girlfriend and a 68-year-old man who came to her aid, according to a Levy County sheriff's press release.
The latest arrest of Mongo follows a Jan. 24 arrest on battery charges. His bond at that time was $75,000.